Florida Day Four: Disney Magic Kingdom

Wednesday, 9 September, we had breakfast and made sandwiches at the hotel before heading out to Disney's Magic Kingdom. The approach to the park is unusual because from the parking area one rides the monorail or takes a ferry across The Seven Seas Lagoon. That makes a delightful, even if complicated, way to arrive at the park. The hot ticket right now is the Seven Dwarfs' Mine Train in the newly expanded Fantasy Land, so that was where we headed first without a Fast Pass. Those were all gone months ago when I tried to get them online. The line was fairly long, but they have perfected the art of entertaining waiting crowds, and they handle the heat extremely well with shade and fans. A hot and humid day unfolded as we moved from land to land.

 The approach across the lake is beautiful

 Ready to march

 Vic affects an awe-struck pose as she looks at the castle: something

she has dreamed of for years

 The Castle steps are being turned into a stage, so the clean

view is from the sides

 The very popular Mine Train

 This is an incredibly effective low-tech solution 

to the staggering heat

 The new Fantasyland: The Beast's Castle houses a restaurant

 Eric's Castle houses the Little Mermaid ride

 King Triton in that ride

 Rapunzel's Tower

 It's a small world after all

Splash Mountain

 I caught some water in the front seat

 

These guys thought it was fun

 Headed to catch the train round the park

 Big Thunder Mountain 

 I had never seen the Bear Country Jamboree: very entertaining

 In Adventureland...

 Headed to the Jungle Cruise

 We had a great guide who tipped us off to free ice water in the park

 The Tiki Room was another fun first for me

Liberty Square is unique to Disney World

 Vic sorted out the cups of ice water for our extreme hydration needs

 The Haunted Mansion

 Another good dinner at the Plaza Restaurant

 A very lively parade and subsequent dance party at the castle

The crew before Cinderella's Castle

 Tomorrowland feels much less tired than the one in CA

 Tomorrowland Speedway seen from the Peoplemover

 Carousel of Progress was also an entertaining surprise

 The central plaza was recently rebuilt to handle larger crowds

and the mature trees are missed

 The softer light of evening

 Headed toward the gates and home

 City Hall

Railroad station at dusk

We enjoyed this very warm day and are now looking forward to one last day at Disney World. That's all for now.

OXO

D.